Healthy Growing: Tips, Tricks, And Techniques For Organic Gardening

If you are environmentally conscious and worried about the toxic effects of chemicals, organic gardening may be for you. Organic gardeners eschew the harsh chemicals and fertilizers used by large corporate farms. Another benefit of organic gardening is that it is relatively inexpensive. This article provides several useful tips that will help you improve your organic gardening techniques.

When digging holes for your plants, don’t be a neat freak. Don’t dig holes that are perfect, with sides that are as smooth as can be. You are actually making it more difficult for the root system of the new plant to take hold in the soil. For best results, keep your holes a little messy.

Grow from seeds. In garden centers, it is usually much cheaper to purchase a packet of seeds than to buy the equivalent number of grown plants. Remember, if you sow some seeds before the summer, you can get a garden full of bright, colorful flowers for a very cheap price.

To keep your lawn looking great when there’s a water shortage, set the blades of your lawnmower to their highest height. Doing this will allow your grass to go dormant, keeping it looking fresh with minimal water. Be sure to change your blades back to their normal setting when you’re able to water your grass normally.

To make weeds easier to spot, be sure to plant all your flowers in a straight line. A more unusual layout may be visually interesting, but it gives weeds plenty of places to hide. Keeping your garden simple will make weeds and diseases easier to locate and simpler to get rid of.

Use groundcover to fill in bare areas of soil. Groundcover plants are very effective for ‘tying’ larger plants together and keeping weeds to a minimum. The earth needs to be well-cultivated, weeded and well-fertilized before you plant anything. In order for the plant to become well established, water thoroughly during dry spells and remove any weeds that may pop up. Fast growing groundcover plants include creeping thyme, sedum, ajuga, golden oregano, heuchera, lamium and vinca.

Use your own seeds for gardening in later seasons. This lets you ensure that your plants are organic from start to finish. Take an earlier season of plants and allow them to go to seed before you remove them. This means that not only are your plants growing without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, the seeds were grown without them either.

When you are organic gardening, ask your children to lend a hand. The benefits for your children will be a closer bond with nature and an understanding of where food comes from.

Reduce the need for pesticides in your garden by planting native crops. Native plants will have a better resistance against the bugs and bacteria of your area, and will be better equipped to compete with native weeds. Native plants will attract beneficial native insects, such as ladybugs, which can naturally control pest problems without the need for chemicals.

When growing organic plants, you should move your containers to a bright area immediately upon sprouting. This is because the seedlings need a minimum of 12 hours of light per day in order to properly grow. You can use a greenhouse, a sunny area, or a couple of fluorescent lights.

Utilizing the advice provided in this article in your organic gardening efforts will produce great results. You will quickly see your garden becoming more productive and healthy, while being free of toxins. When your garden works with nature, you will also be able to notice an increase in the number of wildlife inhabiting your garden.